Families…

Families…

This blog this week is more or a personal reflection on families and the role they play in influencing your life either good or bad…

My mum is the eldest of a family of 8 siblings and in the past three months two of her siblings have died of cancer. I attended my uncle’s funeral last week to support mum as it was one of her brothers that was very dear to her and he was 59 years young.

Having being amongst family members it put me in a very reflective frame of mind, and led me to thinking ‘isn’t it funny how such a small group of people can have such an impact on your life’. Often I have spent time avoiding these people as I felt I haven’t lived up to their expectation of me. But if I look at that and break that down, it’s actually the expectation I have put on myself, and how silly of me to avoid these people that at the end of the day care about you. My mum if I was to label her would be an eccentric crazy lady, that wears what she likes and says what she likes, and often this results in side-way glances, or us sending her back to her room saying ‘No mum you are not wearing that!’ But how many people can say they have a 70 year old mum that attends Zumba in her tights and wears hot pants cause she could in the 60’s!

So been amongst this group of people I was thinking ‘wow’ we all have our own concepts and demons that we are facing, one Aunt is thinking face lift as she doesn’t want wrinkles, another is thinking time out as life is to precious, an uncle struggling through divorce, a brother in pain, cousins worrying about looks, where life is going, buying houses and not having boyfriends… And all of us having a say of, ‘you should do this’ and ‘you should do that’. From us all being together, and listening to people speak at my uncles funeral, and just general chatter, what I reflect on is no matter what you are struggling with, no matter where you are, no matter what you do, your family are there to ground you, guide you, celebrate with you and often criticise you. But please don’t resent them for this, as they have you at Heart! My uncles life was short and lived at a crazy fast pace but his motto that lives on in his son’s ‘Always create memories’ as they become family treasures and story’s for the next generation. Embrace your family, live life to the fullest, create memory’s and laugh! As often in a blink it can be gone… And you don’t want ‘what if’s and why didn’t I’ chasing you…